Joni Mitchell

Biography November 7, 1943, Fort Mcleod, Alberta Roberta Joan Anderson 9 years old, admitted to children’s hospital because of polio Role model Personal issues Artist First album: 1968 Pop/folk - jazz Prince, Elvis Costello, George Michael, Madonna, Sheryl Crow, Morissey, Seal, Beck, Cassandra Wilson, Diana Krall Chuck Mitchell Larry Klein Daughter up for adoption 1965, met again in 1996 – model Polar Music Prize, Royal Swedish Academy of Music Award Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ranked 5 th on 100 greatest women of Rock N Roll Guitar, piano, oboe, autoharp Folk singing, cigararettes, movies, dances; while at art school

They paved paradise And put up a parking lot With a pink hotel, a boutique And a swinging hot spot Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot They took all the trees Put 'em in a tree museum And they charged the people A dollar and a half just to see 'em Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot Hey farmer farmer Put away the D.D.T. now Give me spots on my apples But leave me the birds and the bees Please! Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot Late last night I heard my screen door slam And a big yellow taxi Took away my old man

It's coming on Christmas They're cutting down trees They're putting up reindeer And singing songs of joy and peace Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on But it don't snow here It stays pretty green I'm going to make a lot of money Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene I wish I had a river I could skate away on I wish I had a river so long I would teach my feet to fly Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on I made my baby cry He tried hard to help me You know, he put me at ease And he loved me so naughty Made me weak in the knees Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on I'm so hard to handle I'm selfish and I'm sad Now I've gone and lost the best baby That I ever had Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on I wish I had a river so long I would teach my feet to fly Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on I made my baby say goodbye

Circle game Yesterday, a child came out to wander Caught a dragonfly inside a jar Fearful when the sky was full of thunder And tearful at the falling of a star And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We can't return we can only look behind From where we came And go round and round and round In the circle game Then, the child moved ten times 'round the seasons Skated over ten clear frozen streams Words like, "When you're older", must appease him And promises of someday make his dreams Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now Cartwheels turn to car wheels through the town And they tell him, "Take your time. It won't be long now.'Til you drag your feet to slow the circles down"

Chelsea morning Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning, and the first thing that I heard Was a song outside my window, and the traffic wrote the words It came a-reeling up like Christmas bells, and rapping up like pipes and drums Oh, won't you stay We'll put on the day And we'll wear it 'till the night comes Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning, and the first thing that I saw Was the sun through yellow curtains, and a rainbow on the wall Blue, red, green and gold to welcome you, crimson crystal beads to beckon Oh, won't you stay We'll put on the day There's a sun show every second Now the curtain opens on a portrait of today And the streets are paved with passersby And pigeons fly And papers lie Waiting to blow away Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning, and the first thing that I knew There was milk and toast and honey and a bowl of oranges, too

Analysis Circle game Summary This poem starts off with the wonder of childhood. You imagine seeing a young kid catching bugs and the magical feeling they get while doing this. As the seasons go round and round, the child gets older, starts driving cars. Time keeps passing and reaches the end of his life circle. Poetic terms Line 8 and 9 is a metaphor. There’s rhyming throughout the poem but not a specific rhyme scheme. The mood of this poem to me is the sweetness of life. The sweetness of the little kid being so happy, and aging in general. “Car wheels” are a symbol for being sixteen. “Round” is used very often for repetition. Theme I think the theme of this poem is ageing and the stages of life. I really liked this poem because it got me thinking. I think the wording made it very easy to imagine and it I thought it was very well written.

Questions for the class! In the last poem “Chelsea morning”, what does “Chelsea morning” stand for? “‘Til you drag your feet to slow the circles down.” What does this mean? Is Joni Mitchell a poet or a musician? What’s the difference between a poet and a song writer?

Tribute to Joni Mitchell Chorus Joni Mitchell Read all her poems to me to me Joni Mitchell Oh sing all her poems to me Verse 1 Joni Mitchell was born in 1943 Which makes her a lot older than me Polio struck Joni when just a child Which launched her heart felt career Chorus Verse 2 Joni Mitchell is a great poet She sings, she plays, she writes Yellow taxi, Chelsea morning, and river Three poems she turned into songs Chorus

Bibliography akimoto.com/2006/2006images/IMG_4777_serene_circles.jpghttp:// akimoto.com/2006/2006images/IMG_4777_serene_circles.jpg